Police have identified the owner of a Facebook account that posted threats of violence against several schools in Balilihan and neighboring Catigbian, following a days-long investigation coordinated by Balilihan Mayor Trisha Chatto, local officials said.
The suspect is a 14-year-old female student, according to police.
Because the suspect is a minor, the case will be referred to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for intervention rather than the ordinary criminal justice process, officials said.
The threats targeted four schools: San Roque National High School, Cong. Pablo Malasarte National High School and Hanopol National High School in Balilihan, and Haguilanan High School in Catigbian.
Chatto said she learned of the threats after a teacher flagged the post and shared a screenshot showing a threat directed at the schools.
She said she immediately raised concerns about student safety and thanked teachers for the swift notice, adding that police also responded quickly once alerted.
Because the Facebook account did not initially reveal its owner’s identity, Chatto coordinated with the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group to trace it.
She also reached out to former law school classmates and contacts in other agencies to help speed up the identification process, she said, adding that establishing the account owner’s identity was essential before any case could be filed.
Chatto kept the investigation confidential until the suspect was identified, she said.
She noted that handling a case involving a minor differs from one involving an adult suspect.
The scare follows heightened concern over school security across Bohol and the Philippines after a shooting at a school in Tacloban earlier this year and recently in Zamboanga City, in which authorities have investigated possible bullying-related grudges and, more recently, the possibility that the young suspects were exposed to extremist content online.
The Department of Education has said that since the Tacloban and Zamboanga shooting, schools nationwide have stepped up inspection of students’ belongings.
Chatto called for tighter security measures in schools following the incident.